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Toronto bars and restaurants can expect a grand slam at the till as the Jays begin their playoff run Thursday, says Canada’s largest processor of debit and credit card payments.

Moneris Solutions Corp. is confident that local pubs will reap the rewards of Blue Jays fever, estimating a boost of between 30 to 40 per cent in business as the playoffs get underway — much like what the restaurant sector enjoyed back in 2013 during the Toronto Maple Leafs home playoff games.

“We’ve been starved for a while, so people like to be social around these special type of events,” said Rob Cameron, Moneris’ chief product and marketing officer, who said he was heading to Real Sports Bar Wednesday night to watch the Leafs’ season opener.

He said it’s a bonus that it’s still warm enough to sit outside on restaurant patios to enjoy the games with nibblies and a pint.

Toronto sports bars near the Rogers Centre had planned on prime-time crowds, but this week’s early start times haven’t changed expectations for a pickup in sales.

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The Loose Moose, long a popular pre- and post-Jays game destination, expects to be busy from its 11 a.m. opening until last call, despite — or perhaps because of — the early start times.

The popular Front Street watering hole has seen a pick-up in traffic before and after, but also during Jays games since the home team began their mid-season tear, said its general manager Mark Di Giulio.

The games will show on all 25 of the bar’s televisions and will also be broadcast on speakers on the street.

The Loose Moose was busy during day games for both the Olympics and World Cup, Di Giulio said. However, he expects the hype to be closest to that felt during the Leafs’ last playoff run a few years ago.

“Everyone was kind of electric,” he said. “And I think the Jays will be even bigger, to be honest with you.”

Real Sports Bar & Grill has been fully booked during the Thursday and Friday games since it began taking reservations three weeks ago, said general manager Sarah Mills.

“Our increase in reservations for an afternoon game is up to 900 guests from a usual 150 guests on a typical Thursday or Friday,” she said.

“It will be a full sellout and we anticipate a lineup after that for all games.”

The Toronto Maple Leafs last made the playoffs in 2013 when they faced the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round. (BRIAN SNYDER)

Revenues for restaurant-sector merchants (including fast food spots, casual dining restaurants and drinking establishments) rose 38.3 per cent in the downtown core compared to regular season games played the previous week. For away games, spending at the pub in particular rose by 44.4 per cent compared to regular-season games the previous week.

FIFA World Cup 2014

The restaurant sector saw a 38.42-per-cent increase in spending during the 2014 World Cup. (Natacha Pisarenko)

Canadians had a big appetite for this massive soccer spectacle, from their local bars to pizza delivery joints. During the final week of matches, the restaurant sector saw a 38.42 per cent increase in spending on food and beverage.

Sochi Winter Olympics Men’s Hockey Final, 2014

Toronto bars saw a 160-per-cent increase in business during the gold medal men's hockey game at Sochi Olympics last year. (Martin Rose)

Canadians didn’t have to call in sick, but they did have to get up early — 7 a.m. — to watch Canada trounce Sweden in the gold medal game in Russia that February morning. Not surprisingly, Toronto bars and restaurants — which extended their legal drinking times — saw a whopping 160 per cent increase in business compared to the same day the previous week.

Pan Am Games 2015

The Pan Am Games resulted in a 22-per-cent jump in fast-food sales this summer. (HECTOR RETAMAL)

The 16-day event translated into a jump of 22.14 per cent in fast food sales compared to the same time last year, while dine-in restaurants were up 3.62 per cent and bars and pubs rose 2.36 per cent, Moneris found.

UFC April, 2011

Georges St-Pierre, left, poses with Jake Shields during a UFC press conference in Toronto in April 2011. The MMA event at Rogers Centre sold out with 55,000 fans attending. (Nathan Denette)

The first time Toronto welcomed the mixed martial arts spectacle — which ended with Canadian fave Georges St.-Pierre the victor over Jake Shields in the main event at the Rogers Centre — local restaurants saw a 19.2 per cent jump in dollars spent and area bars got a 15.7 per cent lift week over week.

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